The Honest Apothecary

A recently published article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has gotten people talking about low carbohydrate diets and insulin resistance again. Entitled “The Carbohydrate-Insulin Model of Obesity. Beyond Calories In, Calories Out,” the article seeks to explain our obesity epidemic which continues to grow in spite of education around calories and exercise. Whi... Read More

A recent Massachusetts Supreme Court decision is serving to remind pharmacies and physicians that communication about medications that are not covered is critical. The case involved the tragic death of a 19 year old girl with epilepsy whose insurance (MassHealth) denied a prescription for a seizure drug known as Topamax back in 2009. Because MassHealth denied the prescription, the woma... Read More

It was Ben Franklin who quipped that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Thanks to advances in medical science, prevention can now be measured in milligrams rather than ounces. This is the case with a newly approved medication to prevent migraine headaches, a 70mg once-monthly injection which patients can administer themselves.

By Jason Poquette RPh, BS PharmA widely read New York Times article published in April 2018 entitled “Many People Taking Antidepressants Discover They Cannot Quit” has caused concern among patients. Antidepressants, which include prescription medication like fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), or paroxetine (Paxil) and many others, are frequently prescribed. In fact, as many as 1 in 9 Americans are reportedly taking a... Read More

For years the medical community has turned to opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone to treat patients for severe, chronic back, knee or hip pain, particularly when other medications have failed. But a new study published in March 2018 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests opioids may actually be no better than non-narcotic alternatives. At least that is wha... Read More

For years it seems men have been accused of exaggerating their cold symptoms. Recently I read a medical satire article about a new hospital “emergency wing” opened exclusively for treating cases of man flu. The comical journalist quipped “It is well known, that this group are particularly severely affected by colds, and therefore need intensive care in order to save their lives.”

Of all the types of pain that pester patients, lower back pain may be the most pestering of them all. Nearly 30% of American adults admit to having some degree of lower back pain in the past 3 months. Lower back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide. And Americans spend a lot of green backs treating bad backs, upwards of $50 billion each year.

The online mega-business that virtually owns the book and e-reader markets, now has its eye on pharmacy. According to reports, Amazon is in the process of developing a mail-order pharmacy services which could offer consumers another option for filling their monthly prescriptions. In a recent article, USA Today wrote that “Amazon has been holding annual meetings on whether it should consider... Read More

William Shakespeare appears to have understood the discomfort of chronic insomnia when he wrote “O sleep! O gentle sleep! Nature’s soft nurse, how have I frighted thee that thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down?” But you don’t need to be a poet to appreciate the value of a good night’s sleep. According to information provided by the National Institute of Health, depending on your definitio... Read More

So how are those New Year’s Resolutions coming along? If you are like millions of other Americans you have included some sort of weight loss goal on your list. This isn’t surprising. According to statistics from the National Institute of Health, nearly two-thirds of adults are overweight and one-third qualify as obese based on BMI (body mass index). This results in numerous health-related... Read More

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